Despite its legal troubles, Airbnb is a stellar tool for urban visitors, and a lovely alternative to hotel ripoffs. But it's also, as Jon Wheatley explains firsthand, an extremely easy way to become a landlord who just wants to turn a quick profit. And that's the last thing we need more of.

Both Airbnb and Uber—shining stars of the sharing economy or efficient middlemen, depending on how you look at it—have chosen to use New York as a model city for making sure lawmakers rule in their favor. And what better way to tip the scales than by backing the man most likely to be our next Mayor?

Airbnb just confirmed that it secretly raised $200 million from Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and others last year. But locals are more concerned about who gets a share of the "sharing economy." TF Cornerstone, the Manhattan-based real estate developer and management company with some impressive luxury listings in its portfolio, emailed tenants this morning to stop using Airbnb because it violates their lease and creates a "negative vibe."

The room-renting startup rumored to be worth $2.5 billion is facing eviction from New York. Airbnb is under attack from the state, and countering by begging for grassroots support—won't you help this company go public someday?

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has issued a subpoena "demanding user data" about Airbnb hosts in New York, reports the New York Daily News. An Airbnb representative told Valleywag that the subpoena covers only the 15,000 hosts, and not all 225,000 users in New York. Airbnb has until today to turn over the data.

Since Airbnb is technically illegal in New York City, the startup is willing to make some big concessions. Today, the shining star of the sharing economy said it will launch a 24/7 hotline for New Yorker in order to "remove bad actors in our community that are causing a disturbance to their neighbors." Oh, and it thinks Airbnb hosts should pay an "occupancy tax.

New York's many hotels are very "lamestream," very "conservative" and "traditional." The new best way to explore Silicon Alley is by renting this "cabin caravan," which is a fun way to describe a tiny plywood trailer located in a parking lot that has no running water.

Look, I'm not saying that startup culture is generally one of spoiled manchildren and poorly prioritized money, but shelter-finding service Airbnb is looking for a full-time baker.

For the first time ever, Airbnb will proactively support an Airbnb host facing legal repercussions for using the company's service. But the "sharing economy" isn't as beneficent as it seems. Airbnb's head of public policy has previously stated his intention to make New York "the model city" for the startup's costly regulatory issues.

The world's most popular room-renting service is now illegal in the largest city in the United States, CNET reports. This could be a setback.

With fears of a tech bubble looming, what better tie-in for your company fête than... the period right before America's greatest financial disaster? Someone at AirBnb sure thinks so: mark your calendars for a boozy night on West Egg. This might be the most oblivious party in startup history.